Nightmare
by Glasz Wingsz
Summary: *Set in CP Coulter's amazing "Dalton"*  Logan comforts Julian after waking him from a nightmare. Derek approves.  *Slight spoilers for Chapter 23 of "Dalton"*


**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Fox, Ryan Murphy and/or CP Coulter.**

**I also apologise for my lack of ability in coming up with good titles :p**

"**blah" – talking**

'**blah' – thinking**

_**blah**_**– flashback/dream**

* * *

><p><em>With a choked gasp, Julian stumbled through the doorway, pushing past the group of freshman standing on the steps. He leapt down the stairs, and continued on across the grassy fields of Dalton Academy. His bare feet pounded the soft dirt beneath him, his footsteps reverberating in his head. He didn't have time to put on his shoes. His shirt was untucked and his tie had long since flown off his neck.<em>

_Even when his breath shortened and his lungs burned, he kept running, towards the woods at the edge of the school grounds._

_He stopped when he reached the tree edge, holding himself against a large trunk as he caught his breath. He glanced behind him, but no one was following him. Maybe he'd lost them. He turned back towards the wood._

_His blood turned cold when a harsh chuckle sounded from inside the forest. Multiple pairs of red eyes glared out at him from the dark. He stumbled back, slipping on something wet. Looking down, he saw it was a puddle. A red puddle._

_And, ruined and dripping red, right next to it was a photo. Of himself. Torn. Mutilated. Bleeding._

_Julian yelped, stumbling back and tripping over a tree root. He landed on his back, pain travelling up his spine. Wide eyes never left the picture._

_How had they caught up to him?_

_He whipped around when more chuckling rang out, echoing in the dark shadows cast by the trees. The red eyes were closer. And coming closer. He wanted to shout for help; he wanted to run away. But he was frozen to the spot, too scared to do anything to save himself._

* * *

><p>Logan had been trying to sleep for almost two hours now. He'd tried everything; counting sheep, listening to music. Nothing was working. The peaceful abyss of sleep eluded him tonight. May as well do something useful then, like study.<p>

Dragging his tired body from the bed, he trudged towards his desk and flicked on the lamp sitting there. Opening to the dog-eared page of the history textbook, he began reading, his sluggish brain barely reacting to the words. Just as his head was starting to nod, eyelids slipping closed, there was a bang from the other side of the wall.

Logan snapped awake, head whipping up.

'What is going on in there?' he thought, annoyed.

Logan's dorm room was right beside Julian's. Julian, who hadn't left his damned room for almost three weeks now. Derek was the only one being allowed in.

But Derek wasn't in Stuart House tonight. He and Casey had gone to see a movie, letting the blonde prefect know not to expect his friend back till late. Logan was about to return to his reading when there was a muffled scream from the other room.

Now he was worried. Nobody – excluding Derek – had seen or heard from the celebrity student for a few weeks. Whatever was happening in that room didn't sound good.

Decision made, Logan got up from his chair and made his way out of the room, turning off the light and shutting the door as he did. He stopped at the next door and twisted the handle, but it didn't budge. Locked.

Resisting the urge to bang on the wood, if only to stop the almost constant litany of whimpers coming from behind it, he stomped his foot angrily, pacing a couple of steps, angry gaze never straying from the door.

Then the screaming started.

Hardly muted by the walls, it was Julian's voice, terrified, hysterical. Just the sound chilled Logan to the bone. It wasn't stopping.

He sprang into action, sprinting down the hall towards Derek's room. Thank goodness the athlete didn't keep his door locked. Lunging around the room, Logan rifled through various drawers, his best friend's screams still sounding from down the hallway. The prefect could hear other doors opening.

Suddenly finding what he needed, he ran back down the hallway, not even bothering to close the door behind him. Julian's frightened screams were still ringing out, making Logan's eyes itch with tears. His friend sounded so scared; his friend needed him now. Forget the frustration and confusion about how he'd been treated the last few weeks. Jules needed him.

Other students had started to wander cautiously in his direction, but he growled at them to return to their rooms. He jammed the key he found in Derek's room into the lock, fumbling a bit in his haste, but finally managed to get it to work. Bursting through the door, Logan was met with a sight that shocked him into inaction for a moment.

Julian's slender form was tangled in his sheets, the doona having been thrown to the floor. He was writhing and twisting against their hold, trying to get free. Occasionally, his hand or knee would bash against the wall.

His screams echoed louder in the small room, but they were interrupted now by loud, desperate sounding sobs and distressed whimpers.

Logan's hand reached out to flick the light switch on the wall nearby his head. The room was illuminated and Logan could see his friend more clearly. His face was crumpled in an expression of pain and terror, mouth hanging open to emit those chilling screams, tears streaming down his cheeks. His whole body was shaking violently.

Startled from his observation, Logan hurriedly shut the door and rushed to the actor's bedside, sitting warily on the edge.

"Jules…Jules, wake up," he spoke softly, hesitantly, not wanting to make anything worse.

Julian ignored him, continuing to thrash around and sobbing harder than before. Logan reached out a hand to rest on his friend's arm, but the effect was instantaneous. Julian screamed again, eyes snapping open and body violently twisting away while his arm shot out, hitting Logan square in the chest. Logan recoiled, clutching the place Julian's fist had made contact with. It didn't hurt too much, but it wasn't the reaction he had been expecting.

* * *

><p><em>He could see them now. They were so close. Humans, but they were cloaked. They surrounded him, blocking out any light. They wore red hoods, that seemed to drip like the red liquid splattered all over Stuart House's front steps.<em>

_They reached out clawed hands to grab at him. Their touch was cold, but it woke Julian from his stupor. He yelled, fighting against the mass of hands. He scratched, clawed, bit, kicked and punched. He felt his foot hit something solid. It ached, but he had to keep fighting._

_He screamed, hoping to scare away the mass of red cloaks; hoping someone would hear him and help him. Suddenly, something was restricting his legs. He looked down. There was rope wrapped around his limbs, making them useless. It didn't matter how much he thrashed; he couldn't free himself. The red cloaks crowded closer, pressing in on him, making him feel claustrophobic._

_One of the cloaks persons reached out and gripped his arm, nails biting into his soft flesh. He screamed louder, jerking away and swinging his other arm viciously. The hand released him, retreating into the mass of cloaks._

_He didn't know when he started crying, but all he knew was that he was scared and he wanted to get away and wasn't anyone able to __**hear **__him?_

_Somebody, save me._

_Derek…_

…_Logan…_

* * *

><p>After unconsciously attacking Logan, Julian had given up trying to escape the blankets, instead curling up on his side. His shivering had increased tenfold, it seemed. Logan could see his eyes, open, but half lidded and glazed over. He could hear him whimpering quietly, mumbling something. He inched closer, being careful not to touch the frightened teen.<p>

"…no, don't… …please…don't, DON'T," he screamed, body jerking, eye widening fractionally, seeing something that Logan couldn't.

Logan could hear footsteps outside the room again, and knew he had to resolve this situation quickly. It was breaking his heart, seeing Julian like this. Smug, confident, sarcastic Jules who never seemed to be affected by anything. Julian may not have realised it, but Logan valued their friendship. Derek and Julian were always there for him, through the good and the bad times. They were the only ones who ever stuck by him. Not even his father. Logan couldn't leave his friend to suffer after everything they'd been through together.

* * *

><p>"<em>Julian! Julian, hold on!".<em>

_That was Logan's voice. It was close. He wanted to shout out, he wanted to run into Logan's strong arms and hide away from the world forever, but he couldn't move. His body was frozen again. All he could do was curl onto his side, hiding his face in his hands._

_Suddenly, he felt the mass of cloaks move away from his crumpled form. He wanted to look up, hardly daring to believe they were leaving, but he couldn't move. And then he heard it._

_Logan's voice…_

_Screaming…_

_In pain._

_Julian's sure he's never moved quicker than he had just then. He forced himself to lift his head, hands clutching at the grass beneath him. Green met sepia. Logan lay only a few metres from him, surrounded by several red cloaks. His beautiful green eyes only reflected pain. Julian felt his heart clench at the expression in those eyes. One of the cloaks reached down and lifted Logan by the collar of his shirt. Logan struggled, but it was no use. He wasn't strong enough._

_Another of the cloaked figures held up one clawed hand to Logan's exposed throat. The nails pierced the skin slightly, making black blood bead up slowly. Julian whimpered, trying to lift himself from the ground. His limbs wouldn't cooperate. His legs were still tied by the rope._

_The cloaked figures were looking at him again from their positions surrounding Logan. Their red eyes glinted maliciously. Julian matched their gazes with his own watery golden-brown orbs, pleading. The cloaked figure with the extended hand dug his nails in deeper, more blood dribbling down Logan's neck as he did so._

'_Why didn't you heed our warning, dear Julian? We warned you. Stay away.'_

_Soft, breath-like voices emanated from the cloaks._

"…_no, don't… …please…" Julian begged, his eyes never leaving the masked person. "…don't, DON'T," he screamed as the nails viciously raked across the delicate throat of the boy he loved._

'_You are MINE!'_

_Logan's body fell limply to the ground, black blood rushing from the gaping wound. Julian wanted to move; he wanted to touch Logan. But those eyes. Those amazingly green, empty eyes stared straight through him, holding him in place._

_And then, those eyes were gone. Replaced by red cloaks. All around him. They reached down to him. Hoisted him up. Trapped him in their arms. Didn't let go._

'_Mine. Mine.'_

_He thrashed, wailing his despair and fright. But they wouldn't let go. No matter what he did. Eventually, Julian's strength ran out, and he let himself be cradled by the mysterious cloaked persons._

_There was nothing left for him anyway. His will to fight was trickling away, just like the black blood dribbling out from the corpse only a few metres away, but forever out of Julian's reach._

* * *

><p>Disregarding the possibility of more swinging fists, Logan carefully lowered himself to the bed. He reached out to pull the other boy towards him. Julian resisted, of course, thrashing wildly and screaming out in terror. Logan kept tugging until the slighter teen was pressed to his chest. He wrapped his arms around the trembling, sweating form. Julian fell silent, biting his bottom lip to contain his frantic sobbing. His hands pushed and hit against Logan's broad chest, straining to free himself, but Logan wasn't giving up.<p>

"Shhh, shhh, it's alright Jules. It's just a nightmare, buddy. That's all – it's not real Jules. Shh, c'mon, you're alright, you're alright".

He continued hushing the crying boy, one hand rubbing soothingly up and down his back, the other gently ruffling the soft, brown hair. Slowly, painstakingly slowly, the actor calmed down, sobs transforming into little hiccups and sniffles. His breathing, which was at first uneven and short, slowed down, and his shaking lessened, limited to the occasional jerky shudder.

When Logan risked a glance at his friend, he saw that his eyes were still glazed over, a clear sign that he wasn't totally aware. Cradling the slender body closer to his own, Logan spoke softly.

"Jules, I need you to wake up, okay? You've gotta wake up now".

And with those calm words, Julian came to life. He bolted upright, gulping deep breaths of air. He shivered anew, shrugging Logan's arms off him and wrapping his own around his shaking form. Logan backed away to the edge of the bed, watching his friend carefully as he gauged his surroundings. It was only when the tears started to slowly make a trail down Julian's cheeks that Logan moved.

His arms wrapped around the actor again. Julian didn't resist this time, instead slumping against his larger friend and resting his head heavily on Logan's shoulder, tears steadily running down his cheeks. He didn't say anything or make any noises; this time the tears fell silently, only the sporadic hiccup or stutter of breath interrupting them. Logan didn't speak, just held his friend as he recovered from whatever horrific night terror held him captive.

After some time had passed and Julian seemed to be calming down, Logan spoke kindly.

"Alright, Jules?"

Julian didn't say anything, simply buried his head further into the junction between Logan's neck and shoulder.

Logan sighed, "Okay, I get it. You don't wanna talk about it…Maybe in the morning".

Julian shook his head, never leaving the comfort of his human pillow. Logan sighed again, a little louder this time. He glanced at the wall clock nearby, and his eyes widened at the time. He really needed to get some sleep. They both did, if the dark shadows under Julian's eyes were anything to go by.

"Julian, c'mon lay down. I'll tuck you in. You need to sleep".

He manoeuvred the actor until he was lying on his side. He went to pull the sheets over his friend, but Julian kicked them away. Okay, no covers then.

"You alright now?"

When Logan didn't receive a reply, he supposed Jules would be fine. He was only in the next room anyway. He assumed Julian would want him to forget about the events of tonight, pretending that nothing had happened. On a whim, he leaned down to plant a light kiss on Julian's temple, ruffling his hair ever so slightly. Julian's eyes were already sliding closed. He turned around to leave, but was stopped when he felt a tug at his sleeve.

He turned around to see Julian's arm stretched out, a couple of his fingers snagged in Logan's long sleeve. Julian's sepia eyes bored into his own, pleading with him, saying what he orally couldn't. His cheeks were tinged pink.

It was a testament to their long friendship that Logan didn't even need to ask what he meant. He simply slipped onto the bed beside Julian, opening his arms in invitation. The slender actor immediately wriggled into the warmth and protection that those arms offered. Logan rolled over a bit, bringing Julian to lie half on top of him, head pillowed on his chest.

"Thank you, Lo…" Julian whispered, voice hoarse from his crying earlier. "…maybe…"

'Maybe in the morning I'll tell you. About my dream. About my stalker. About my love for you'.

And with that, Julian drifted into the first truly peaceful sleep he'd had in three weeks.

* * *

><p>When Derek returned to Stuart House later than night, he was surprised to see lights still on. He was even more surprised when he realised one of those lights was coming from his room, and the door was wide open. He entered into what looked like a warzone. Books and papers had been shoved onto the floor, drawers were hanging half-open. Derek only knew two people in Stuart who would dare to do this, and one of those people was currently holed up in his own room and apparently not coming out any time soon, if the bloody primadonna had his way.<p>

Stomping out of his room, Derek proceeded to stalk down the hall towards Logan's room. Yanking open the door, he was startled to the find the room dark and empty. Slamming the door shut, he was about to proceed further down the hallway when somebody cleared their throat behind him. He spun on the spot to find Bailey, still in his pyjamas and a steaming mug in hand.

"Hey Derek, about time you got back," he said, voice hoarse from sleep.

"What happened here, Bailey? Where's Logan," Derek questioned, gesturing towards the closed door.

Bailey yawned before answering, "Julian. I think he must have been having a nightmare. Logan came barging through here and now he's in Julian's room, and he hasn't come out yet. Everyone else has gone back to bed".

Derek nodded, finally understanding the condition of his room. He patted Bailey on the shoulder, sending him off to his room. Then he walked towards Julian's room. He could see light spilling out from the tiny crack underneath the door. Opening the door quietly, Derek was met by a heart-warming sight.

Logan and Julian were fast asleep, Logan's arms wrapped protectively around the diva. Julian's head was being cushioned by Logan's chest, and his hands were gripping at the old t-shirt the larger boy wore to bed. With the light on, Derek could see the dried tear tracks on Julian face. That and the rumpled doona on the floor was all the explanation he needed as to what had happened here tonight.

Smiling to himself, satisfied that his friends were alright and safe, Derek left the room, flicking the light off on his way, and shutting the door quietly, making sure that no one would disturb them.


End file.
